Council announces plan to improve horticultural social care services
Friday 30 May 2025: Hillingdon Council has started working with volunteers from its Rural Activities Garden Centre (RAGC) to help them secure new placements at its Civic Centre and with voluntary sector partners if the authority's Cabinet decides next month to close the site.
As part of its required care provision for those volunteers at the site with social care needs, the council is proposing to continue their support at the Civic Centre campus in Uxbridge, offering horticultural placements across the site's gardens and public realm areas.
Recognising the unique potential of each volunteer, they will be offered enriched learning and developmental opportunities with the dedicated guidance of RAGC staff who know them well. A wider and more meaningful range of activities than they currently experience at the garden centre will provide them with broader skills and experiences.
Included in the refurbishment plans for the former Middlesex Suite to incorporate the new Uxbridge Library and Register Office, is the creation of new gardens at the rear of the Civic Centre which will be used for weddings, library events and visitor recreation.
For the wider volunteer team, in recognition of their commitment and dedication, the council is proposing to work closely with them to help them secure new volunteer placements of a similar nature through collaborations with its voluntary sector partners, with a number of these placements already identified, or by facilitating pathways to paid employment with commercial operators so they can further develop their professional skills.
The council will also work closely with affected staff, with the aim of redeploying them to the Civic Centre site or elsewhere within the organisation.
Last year, the site operated at a loss of £137,000 for the year which was subsidised by Hillingdon taxpayers.
Cllr Eddie Lavery, Hillingdon Council's Cabinet Member for Community and Environment, said: "Ensuring the highest quality of services for vulnerable residents while continuing to deliver value for money remains a key priority.
"It is important to us to recognise the excellent work carried out by the RAGC's staff and volunteers, and we are committed to supporting them to secure redeployment should Cabinet make the decision next month to close the site.
"The proposed opportunities at the Civic Centre for those with social care packages will build on the excellent foundation provided at the RAGC site but ultimately offer enhanced options for development through more and varied activities.
"Equally, the placements offered by partner organisations, or through paid employment, will provide a more diverse range of experiences so the volunteers can enhance their professional skills.
"Unfortunately, the bottom line is the RAGC's retail operations were not sustainable. The council lacks the commercial expertise and funds to compete with other garden centres, and we simply cannot expect our residents to subsidise a loss-making retail venture when the site could be put to a more sustainable use."
The report on the future of the RAGC will be considered by the council's Cabinet on Thursday 26 June.